Advantage Inspection is awarding the remaining NC franchises. Act now.

[Nick Gromicko]

November 28, 2006

From: Sonya Skidmore
Director of Sales and Marketing
Advantage Inspection International
(864) 241-2000
sonyaskidmore@advantageinspection.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Advantage Inspection International is awarding franchises in various new markets in North Carolina. Expansion into North Carolina began in 2005 and with franchises now in place throughout the state, Advantage is now seeking experienced inspectors and or licensed and experienced contractors to fill the remaining markets.

Advantage Inspection provides existing inspectors a turnkey business opportunity to grow from beyond themselves to beyond their dreams with proven methods of recruiting, marketing and systematic strategies that help them expand their businesses into multi-inspector firms with marketable value should they decide to sell or retire.

Advantage Inspection and Advantage Home Warranty are a unique combination that provides customers with a "higher level of certainty" with guaranteed inspections and America's most comprehensive and "only no denied claims" home warranty. Our franchisees earn additional revenues from listing inspections, warranty sales, builder warranty inspections, and home physicals.

Advantage Inspection is a preferred vendor partner of Lowes Home Improvement and our customers receive a 10% discount coupon to use at the Lowes store of their choice with savings of up to $500 with each home inspection. So our customers can actually save more than they spend on our home inspection services. Now that's something every buyer and seller can use.

NACHI members receive special incentives and membership benefits upon joining the Advantage Team. So if you are looking for a way to grow your current inspection business and want to become part of a team working for yourself, but not by yourself, come to one of the upcoming Inspector Workshops in a city near you (call our office for cities, dates and times). Meanwhile, please visit our website for more information at www.advantageinspection.com or view our on-line videomercial at http://www.advantageinspection.com/vid/show%20franchisemed_prog.wmv.

Remaining territories are limited, so take some time today to explore where you'd like to take your business tomorrow. Give yourself and your clients the advantage and in the words of our great friends at Lowes "Let's Build Something Together".

Sonya Skidmore
Director of Sales and Marketing
The Advantage Companies
Safe Homes for Safe Kids
Phone: 864-241-2000
Fax: 864-298-0306
www.advantageinspection.com
www.advantagehomewarranty.com

[pdoane]

They want to recruit NACHI inspectors to become part of the Advantage team, they proudly use the NACHI logo on their site and Nick has repeatedly endorsed them, but check out their sample inspection report in particular their inspection agreement. They inspect to ASHI standards. I'm still scratching my head as to why NICK "approves" this???

[Nick Gromicko]

I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why you dug up a thread from 2006.

Anyway, my friend Charlie Shipman is driving out to the Knoxville Chapter meeting in 2 weeks to meet with me on other business. Join us. http://tn.nachi.org/ethic/event361.html

[nwagner]

Wow! Advantage is reeling so bad in NC that they are now giving away their $25,000 territories. What was that I noise about them taking over this "cottage industry" last year? It didn't take long, did it?

[pdoane]

Originally Posted by gromicko

I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why you dug up a thread from 2006.

Anyway, my friend Charlie Shipman is driving out to the Knoxville Chapter meeting in 2 weeks to meet with me on other business. Join us. http://tn.nachi.org/ethic/event361.html

Not intentional Nick, I was searching for something else and made this comment in jest not actually looking at the date of your post. But isn't it still relevant that they have NACHI logo on their site, and inspect to ASHI standards in their contract?

[nwagner]

How does NACHI benefit from promoting the Advantage franchise? I don't see a single tangible return to this organization for stumping for a franchise that touts the competing association over our's, brands our industry as a cottage industry, has a business model centered around the pathetic practice of pandering to real estate agents and engages in anti-trust like practices to eliminate independent inspectors in their territories. But hey, its encouraging to see that they are dying off in NC. Which state is next?

[pdoane]

Originally Posted by nwagner

How does NACHI benefit from promoting the Advantage franchise? I don't see a single tangible return to this organization for stumping for a franchise that touts the competing association over our's, brands our industry as a cottage industry, has a business model centered around the pathetic practice of pandering to real estate agents and engages in anti-trust like practices to eliminate independent inspectors in their territories. But hey, its encouraging to see that they are dying off in NC. Which state is next?

IMO Advantage Home Inspection is a commercial "gimmick" to get more people shopping at Lowe's. Lowe's bread and butter customers are home owners obviously, Advantage comes in on the back side (Performs a Listing Home Inspections) Finds defects that need to be fixed to help sell the home, and presents the client with a gift card which pushes them to the local Lowe's to find the fix it items. Thats why they tot the allegiance to Lowe's, and promote the coupon so hard. If you give someone a coupon (10% off) it gets them into the store with the fix it list from their Advantage Home Inspection... In retail its called a loss leader. Lowe's and Advantage are partners to bring in more customers to Lowe's stores.

If you want a 10% coupon to Lowe's, go to your local post office and pick up a moving or change of address booklet, it has tons of coupons it in, even Lowes the last time I looked.

[nwagner]

I doubt they book many of those Pre-Listing inspections but nethertheless its a great gimmick for Lowe's. It'd suck though to be one of those unsuspecting home buyers who were conned by their realtor into contracting the Advantage inspector who downplayed major defects as being easily remedied with a handyman repair that is made more affordable with a 10 percent, $100 dollar or whatever Lowe's coupon ...

[Russell J. Hensel]

Why is NACHI pushing THIS company...I don't see the push for Amerispec, Home Team, Pillar to post and companies like that.

But it is a hard choice....I would love to give aa=way a cetain percent of my profits, make my report much more inferior then it is now and then be guided by someone else's rules..................let me think............

I will pass